Just last week I offered a keynote at the 2025 Library Marketing and Communications Conference (LMCC 2025). While it took place in-person in St. Louis, Missouri, just steps from the Gateway Arch, late-breaking Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight reductions connected to the Federal goverment shutdown (along with unexpected caregiving duties) interrupted my planned trip to join colleagues. I’m grateful to the LMCC Board – in particular, John Jackson, (Secretary), for their flexibility and efforts in solidifying logistics so I could connect with everyone virtually. Through the magic of Zoom, I shared my conversation, titled “Signaling (Critical) Hope: Normalizing Self-Preservation & Collective Care in Library Workplace Communications” with over 400 attendees.
At the beginning of the talk, I asked attendees to share their hopes for libraries and library workers. This brief report shares a list of selected responses, categorized in five general areas.
Belonging/EDI
- Bringing back DEI policies and programs.”
- “Make a seat for everyone.”
- “My hope is that everyone has a place to feel welcome and that they belong at the library.”
- “Hopes – that library employees will feel welcome and accepted in the library, that they will like coming to work.”
- “That [library workers] realize the important role they play in leveling the playing field and providing equal access to information for folks.”
- “To be a window and a door where people can begin to approach their dreams.”
- “I’ve been thankful for the conversations I’ve been able to participate in or witness where we have different values but discuss them [with] respect and friendship.”
Library Worker Support/Health
- “Good work life balance”
- “Feelings of success and fulfillment”
- “Fully supported staff that can show up as their authentic selves and serve all the members of their community without fear of repercussions”
- “Less burnout, responsive to trauma, increased engagement”
- “Well equipped to support patrons by putting on your own oxygen mask first/taking care of ourselves and each other”
- “…Library workers: hope and safety”
Library Funding/Support
- “Sufficient funding and ability to do programs they desire for the community.”
- “To get monetary support during national budget cuts.”
- “Support for libraries and freedom of speech championed by libraries.”
- “Full and expanded funding.”
- “To have the support and freedom to provide all kinds of resources and education to their community without persecution. Don’t let a ‘no’ stop you from getting good work done.”
- “More and affordable, professional support and development opportunities for our frontline workers.”
- “Better pay and benefits.”
Workplace Culture/Industry Outlook/Mindset
- “Joy and solidarity.”
- “Look past ‘we can’t’ and turn it into ‘how can we.’”
- “Resilience, flexibility, openness, trust.”
- “I hope library staff feel supported by their administrators and board.”
- “Less hate and more time to focus on the work that matters most.”
- “Sustainable environments where staff are able to do the work they are trained for, and other organizations are there to do the work they are trained for.”
- “That we will continue to innovate and grow.”
- “Connection with each other.”
- “Feel supported by leadership to in turn best support our community.”
- “That library workers’ passion for the work does not dwindle in the face of pushback.”
- “Dream big! Medium, even. We get stuck in ruts and we’re afraid of change. Let’s grow together.”
- “I hope to see library workers feel empowered by their work and be proactive in solving the problems in their scope within their community.”
- “Joy, strength, connection, partnership, acceptance of the evolution of the work, growth for library workers.”
- “I hope our libraries can help take down capitalism!”
- “I hope that libraries can come together internally in a compassionate and open-minded way – where people feel supported and heard. Wellness and morale needs to better be prioritized rather than fears.”
Community Connection/Respect
- “Legal protection from book banners.”
- “To get more young adults/teens into my library”
- “Freedom to read”
- “Respect from folks externally and internally.”
- “Recognition for the services we offer.”
- “I hope libraries continue to be valued community partners in improving literacy and lifelong learning opportunities”
- “More partnerships with community organizations.”
- “Greater show of respect for the work we do.”
- “People will realize our importance and library workers to feel needed and happy to do the work.”
- “Deeper understanding from patrons through hard times.”
- “Campus recognition of the great work being done.”
- “I would hope for greater understanding from community members on how our services to unhoused folks are important and valuable, even though it isn’t ‘pretty’.”
- “That the greater public realizes the value libraries bring to their life and to their community at large. I hope libraries remain strong during challenging times. And employees are valued and seen.”
- “That libraries aren’t looked at as the enemy.”
- “More embracing of literacy programming by workers and patrons.”
- “To be appreciated for the solid reliable resource they are. Intellectual mistrust is an issue.”
- “Reduce the idea that the library is just books.”
Thanks to our colleagues who shared their hopes for libraries and library workers. By the way, next year’s LMCC conference is scheduled for November 10-11, 2026 – in St. Louis.
If you’d like to share your hopes for libraries and library workers, start here.
UPDATE 1/12/2025: Here’s a brief write-up from an LMCC Conference attendee, in part sharing her takeaways from my talk.
